1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for automatically filling prescriptions, and more particularly to a computer controlled system for dispensing pills from bulk containers carried by a shelving unit having shelves arranged in an array format, wherein a robotic arm removes bulk containers as selected in order to fill a particular prescription, the removed bulk container being placed upon a counter/dispenser to count and dispense the pills into a selected pill bottle that is placed next to the counter/dispenser by the robotic arm.
2. General Background of the Invention
In the pharmaceutical industry, many different types of pills must be quickly dispensed into pill bottles in order to efficiently provide prescription services to patients. Several such systems have been patented that disclose devices attempting to automate pill prescription services.
Kerney Hurst is a named inventor of a number of issued and now expired U.S. patents that deal with counting articles such as pills from a cassette or drum.
______________________________________ U.S. Issued Filing Expiration Pat. No. Date Date Title Date Inventors ______________________________________ 3,045,864 07/24/62 06/25/59 "Article 07/24/79 Hurst/ Counting Pearson Device" 3,170,627 02/23/65 07/08/63 "Article 02/23/82 Pearson/ Counting Hurst Device" 3,215,310 11/02/65 07/03/62 "Article 11/02/82 Hurst/ Counting Pearson Device" 3,266,664 08/16/66 06/09/65 "Article 08/16/83 Pearson/ Counting Hurst Device" 3,368,713 02/13/68 08/15/66 "Article 02/13/85 Hurst/ Counting Pearson Device" 4,111,332 09/05/78 12/16/74 "Article 09/05/95 Hurst/ Counting Pearson Device" 4,171,065 10/16/79 12/06/76 "Circuitry 10/16/96 Hurst And System For Con- trolling Multi-Use Article Dispensing Cells ______________________________________
A more recent Kerney Hurst patent is U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,394 which relates to a cassette for holding pills to be dispensed. The cassettes of the Hurst '394 patent cooperate with a counter/dispenser having a motor drive that rotates a drum inside the cassette to dispense and count pills contained in the drum. A selected pill in a selected cassette is placed upon the motor drive when a prescription is to be filled. The druggist then selects a number of pills using a numeric key pad entry. The druggist also selects a desired size pill bottle and places that pill bottle under the counter/dispenser so that when the motor drive rotates the drum contained within the cassette, the desired number of pills are dispensed from the cassette through the counter/dispenser and into the pill bottle.
More recent patents deal with the concept of automating the process of filling a prescription. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,208,762 and 5,337,919. The '762 patent, issued to Charhut et al., discloses a method and apparatus for dispensing drugs, wherein a patient's order of one or more prescriptions is automatically filled. Various drugs are stored in three or more filler lines. A vial size is assigned to each line. When a prescription is filled, it is automatically assigned to a line in view of the vial size requirements and processed accordingly. Provisions are made for the inability to fill a prescription or order. Subsequently, all of the patient's prescriptions are collected and made available as a single order.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,919, issued to Spaulding et al., discloses an automatic prescription dispensing system that includes a housing or frame having a plurality of pill dispenser units mounted therein, a plurality of vial supply assemblies at one end of the housing, and a filled vial offload carousel at an opposite end. A vial manipulator assembly is mounted on the housing to enable translational movement of a vial manipulator frame vertically and horizontally and pivoting about a vertical axis to retrieve vials from the supply assemblies, fill the vials at the dispenser units, and deposit the filled vials onto the carousel. The vial manipulator frame includes spring loaded grippers to engage and carry the vials and a drive motor and gear for meshing with dispenser unit gears to operate the dispenser units. The system includes a controller including an interface for coupling to the printer port of a pharmacy host computer printer port for intercepting drug name and quantity data for a prescription which was directed to a prescription label printer. Such prescription data is used by the controller for selecting the dispenser unit having the required drug, vial size, and number of pills to be dispensed.
The cassette type system of the above-discussed Hurst '394 patent is basically a manual system that requires a pharmacist to manually retrieve a cassette from a storage receptacle or shelf, then manually place that cassette on the top of the counter/dispenser. The pharmacist must then manually select the number of pills to be dispensed and then hold the pill bottle under the dispenser until the prescription is filled. A label must then be manually be applied to the outside of the bottle.
While some of the automated drug filling systems do in fact automatically fill a prescription and even apply a cap to the pill bottle, they are by-in-large very expensive devices that are only justifiable to very large end users such as hospitals.
There is thus a need for an automated prescription filling system that can be used by smaller and medium sized users such as pharmacies as opposed to very large hospitals.
There is also a need for a pill dispensing system that uses bulk storage containers that can quickly and automatically access a selected container with a selected pill and dispense that pill automatically into a selected pill bottle.